The story is about a person who scales to the high Himalayas to visit a bearded holy man in a cave. The climber asks, “How can I become a millionaire?” The sage replies, “If I knew the answer to that, you think I’d be living here?” This parable’s ostensible message is that renouncers are all misfits and ne’r-do-wells. They inhabit remote retreats because they can’t make it in the ‘real world’. In short, they’re losers. And buried within is yet another theme: holy people should not possess anything of this world. Their wisdom thrives on isolation. The stereotypical rishi or saint has to remain aloof, even geographically, from all things physical.